03/26/2015

I've been meaning to share the boy's shared room for ages! How has it already been almost a year?!? With the help of my sponsor Munchkin, I finally got it together!

With a home that is less than 1000 square feet and just two bedrooms, we always knew our kids would share a room. Ronan slept in our room for the first four months and then (even though he is still a very bad sleeper) he started shacking up with his wonderfully sound sleeping big bro. The room hasn't changed dramatically since it was Jude's nursery. We tried a few other layouts but the small room didn't feel right any other way.

I wanted Ronan to feel special, not that he was just stuck in his brother's room, but I also wanted to make sure that Jude didn't feel as though his space was totally taken over by his baby brother. We tried to keep lots of familiar things and add in some new fun touches.

Special artwork really helped welcome Ronan Sky. My dad added Ronan's name to the wall mural and I hung the great pieces my friends made for my virtual shower. The wooden California was made my friend's son, he sells on instagram. I also purchased and framed another cool piece from Brainstorm.

With two in a small room, function is key. The top of one dresser does double duty as a changing table. The Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail by Munchkin means Jude doesn't have to smell his brother's stinky diapers while he's playing or sleeping. Nothing breeds sibling animosity quite like stench. This diaper pail sprinkles a little baking soda into the bag each time you close the lid, which means no yucky odors! I also love that the bags are affordable and easy to find.

I had to get creative with storage to make room for two boys. For clothes, each boy has one dresser and some hanging room in the closet. I also added a hanging set of shelves for odds and ends. Toy and book storage was the biggest challenge. We tried to make the best use of existing shelves in the closets. Most of Jude's toys are organized in my secret weapon: clear shoe bins. They are cheap, easy to see the contents, and when I can get him to stick with the one at a time rule, they hold a very manageable (read easy to clean up) amount of toys. There is also an overflowing dress up bin and stuffed animal storage in the closet, I would still like to do better in these areas, but out of sight out of mind.

I'm so grateful that these two love sharing a room. Ronan lives to wake his brother up each morning and Jude is counting down the days until they can rock a bunk bed!

When the baby came along I created simple DIY blackout curtains that have been a really big help, especially at nap time. Plus, they're cute! If anyone is interested in a tutorial let me know, I'd be happy to share how I made them. Curious about the other handmade items in the room? Here are a few links that you might find helpful: DIY Nautical Lighting, Mini Lounger Tutorial, DIY Nautical Mobile, and Trundle Train Table.

A special thanks to Munchkin for sponsoring this post. All words and opinions are, as always, all mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Now, it's time to share my mom.me articles for this month and I can't really do that without sharing how I feel about negative comments. This article that I wrote unintentionally struck a major nerve with many people.

"When we read something that touches a nerve, or worse — an insecurity — the meanest parts of us can come out." - Grace Bonney

The comments for that post, especially on Facebook, were overwhelmingly harsh and surprisingly personal. When I wrote that article I thought it would make moms of boys chuckle and perhaps spark conversation. I had no idea I would be perceived as a naive, overly sensitive, uptight, crazy person. I might be a bit crazy, but I am neither naive nor hypersensitive. That said, I am a person with feelings and reading attack after attack of my character made be have a lot of them. I was angry, frustrated, confused, defensive, and sad. Then I felt ashamed for letting my feelings get hurt by a bunch of mean strangers. But here's the thing: It worries me that it has become socially acceptable to spout hateful things in any and all comment sections. Thankfully, this behavior seems to be relegated to the typed word, I doubt any one of those commenters would have said those things to my face.

Isn't it about time the internet population started recognizing that there are humans behind the screens? This sentiment of course does not apply to my sweet and wonderful Small + Friendly readers, you totally get it. So I'm hoping you can help me spread the word, wouldn't the internet be a better place if people only made comments they would dare say in person? We could still have loads of healthy debate without resorting to name calling. Maybe, I am naive after all , but I'd really love if such a concept caught on. In the meantime I'm collecting a paycheck, I stand by my words, and I'm working on growing a thicker skin.

Okay, rant over! If you've made it this far, perhaps you'd like to read more? Here are my mom.me articles for March:

03/20/2015

This post was sponsored by Levana and they are offering you a wonderful giveaway at the end of this post! Thanks so much for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Happy First Day of Spring! I have been spending as much time as possible readying the garden for summer fruits and veggies, and also planting lots of flowers (when I'm not battling weeds and wild blackberries). I adore working in the garden; although, actually getting things done out there can be tricky with Ronan as my "helper." There have been times when I've been asked, "How do you do it all?" To which I always have the same answer, "I don't!" We all only have so much time, and we do our best with it. I am able to grow a nice chunk of our food each summer, but please don't look inside my car or within my closet. Not to mention, I am way overdue for a haircut, and my eyebrows have all but grown together! The point is, I can't tell you how to do it all, but I can share three tips for gardening with a baby as your sidekick.

How to Garden with a Baby

1. Place a Play Yard in the Shade. If your baby is like Ronan and simply loves being outside, they might be happy to play in a play yard. I place Ronan in "the octagon" with a few toys under the shade of an umbrella. He is usually content with me near by chatting and the chickens providing entertainment. This is a great way to weed or plant a few small things, anything that can be stopped quickly if baby needs you.

2. Wear Baby. A backpack or baby carrier with a back carry function is very helpful in the garden. I often carry Ronan this way when I need to water or do some light pruning. He is safe and content, and I have both hands free. I don't recommend baby wearing if you need to do lots of squatting, as when planting or weeding, but for most other gardening activities, it's great!

3. Utilize Nap Time. This one is key! While baby naps, you can really tackle the big stuff. I use this time to trim thorny blackberry vines and plant large things like trees and bushes. That is, if you have the help of a Levana Sophia Video Monitor. I love this thing so much! Our backyard is large enough that there is no way I would hear Ronan if he woke up while I was working out there. And what's more, it would take me a little while to get to him, between walking back into the house and washing my hands. With this video monitor, when I see that he is up, I can talk to him and let him know I'm on my way, so he doesn't get upset waiting for me to get in and wash my hands. And the best part is that with the video monitor, I don't have to rely on sound alone; sometimes he squawks, but he's not really awake, and I don't have to stop what I'm doing for a false alarm. The Sophia baby monitor will give you piece of mind, knowing your baby is sleeping safely, so that you can get your garden growing!

I am so excited that you get a chance to win a monitor of your own. You will love the crystal clear picture, even when the room is super dark! Plus it tells you the temperature! I love that, because I'm always wondering if he might be too cool or too warm.

03/18/2015

This Baby of Mine is a virtual shower for our dear friend Amy of This Heart of Mine. We wanted to shower her with love and congratulations on her newest addition even though we live all over the country. Our posts are full of great ideas for sending love and help to a friend with a new baby, even when you live far away. Check out the end of this post for all the other awesome ideas.

This is baby number three for Amy so I thought it would be nice to send a special care package to the big siblings. It can be difficult to give everyone the attention they need when there's a newborn in the house. I wanted the big kids to feel extra special, because they are, even if they have that new baby smell! So I created these cute free printable awesome big sibling awards to acknowledge their new found super star status. I also wanted to help their mama out by giving them a couple things that might keep them happily busy for a few minutes at least.

No-Sew Crayon Wraps - These are still my go-to kid gift. Jude uses his regularly and I love that they fit so easily in a purse or diaper bag.

Sticker Books (affiliate link) - These reusable sticker books are so much fun. You can set up scenes and change them up as much as you'd like.

Now I won't be able to resist sending a little something for mom and baby too. I plan to make Amy some natural body butter and baby probably needs a super cute pair of leggings. But I hope the big siblings enjoy getting their very own congratulations gifts! As the oldest of three, I know what a big, exciting role that is!

Wishing Amy and her beautiful family so much joy. A huge congrats on a beautiful baby boy!

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